Automatic selector-switch.



J. N. REYNOLDS.

AUTOMATIC SELECTOR SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1911. RENEWED an 16, 1913.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

/n venlor: John N Reyna/0's. y

VW/nesses: $7wMa J. N. REYNOLDS. AUTOMATIC SELECTOR SWITCH. APPLICATIONFILED JULY 8, 1911. RENEWED MAY 1c. 1913.

1,091,765. Patented Mar.31,1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

//7 van/0r: John /V. Reyna/0's.

J. N. REYNOLDS.

AUTOMATIC SELECTOR SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1911. RENEWED MAY 1a, 1913.

1,091 J65. Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Nil

Will.

J. N. REYNOLDS.

AUTOMATIC SELECTOR SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED JULYB, 1911. RENEWED MAY16,1913. 1,09 1,765. Patented Mar. 31, 1914,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

//7 venfor Joh/T/V. Reyna/0's OO W W/fnesses adapted in one movement toseize the proper UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN NEWBERRY REYNOLDS, OF GREENWICH. CONNECTICUT. ASSIGNOB. TOW VESTERNELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NE\V YORK. N. Y.. A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC SELECTOR SWITCI-I.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Application filed July 8. 1911, Serial No. 637,434. Renewed May 16,1913. Serial No. 768,157.

lie it known that l. Jonx Xnwnuunv Rm- NULUS, citizen of the UnitedStates. residing at Greenwich. in the county of Fairtield amt State ofConne ticut. have invented a certain new and usetul llllpl'UYtltltlll inAutouiatic helector-Switches. of which the following'is a full. clear.concise. and exact des ription.

This invention relates to automatic switches of the panel type. forautomatically etlecting the interctinnection of telephone lines. and isadapted for use in either automatic or semi-automatic telephone exchangesystems. in this type of switch the termizontally into banks orsections. a brush heing provided in each section for each row. Thebrushes associated with the sections of the same row are carried upon acommon support. Thus any terminal may he reached by some brush in arelatively short movement of the v upport. i\[eans are provided t'ordetermining which of the brushes on the support shall be renderedoperative. thus in etl'ect selecting the group by selecting the brush.

()ne of the objects of this invention is t provide an improved means Forselecting the orush to be rendered active.

Another-feature of the invention resides in the elevating mechanism forthe brushes. In the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed eaeh ofthe sets of brushes serving the vertical rows of multiple terminals isarranged in operative relation to an actuating device which is normallyfree of engagement with all the brushes but adapted to seize anindividual brush or rather a set. of brushes and move it along itsrow ofterminals in its respective division of the panel to the ex-.

clnsion of the others.

The mechanical selective means shown comprises an elevatin rod common tothe sets of brushes serving the sections into which the panel isdivided, said rod being thrush and in another movement to elevate 1 thesame to the desired terminal in its division. This may be accomplishedbv providing the rod with pins. one for eai'h brush. adapted when therod is twisted to respec tively engage fingers upon the brush carriersand elevate the same. the relation of the respective pins to theircorresponding fingers being such that only one pin and its correspondingfinger will be in alinement at the time the tw sting action occurs. Inthe present ttlilmtlilllttlt this is aecomplishtat bv varying the heightof the fingers ot' the respeetive brush carriers with respect to theresting positions of the pins in ari'tlnnetical progression trout thebottom to the top ear rier. The rod may be twisted by a lever actuatedby a magnet. The selected brush may be raised by power applied to thelift mg rod by a constantly rotating pullev to which it is coupled. andmay be restored by gra v 1 1y.

The elevating mechanism for the brushes consists of a driving pulleylocated in operat-ive relation to the elevating means. in the presentinstance a rod. and an idler pul lc v adapted to force the rod intoengagement with the pulley to elevate the same. lret'erably a pair ofdriving pulleys are provided both in operative relation to the brushrod. and each adapted to impart a ditl'erent rate of travel to said rod.The idler pulleys may be carried by levers actuated by eleetromagnets.

Referring to the drawings-Figures l. 2 and 3 should be viewed one belowthe other in the. order named and show a side elevation of a part of anindividual selector and a section of the corresponding part; of thepanel board before which it travels; Fig. 4 is a partial section on line-5 of Fig. 2. and Fig. is a complete section on the same line. Theseviews illustrate the successive positions. of a brush-lifting in and thecorresponding finger during t e seizure of a brush; Fig. 6 is a similarsection and illus trates the relation of the pins to the fingersv of theother brushes after the rod has been twisted and the selected brushseized; Fig. 7 is a section of the commutator on the line T? of Fig. 2;Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line. 9--9 of Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is an endview of what. is shown in Fig. 7 looking in the 1 direction of the,arrows; Fig. is a SQCGOH of the shift arm for the brush rod, on live--l0 of Fig. 1; Fig. 11 is a perspective of the retaining pawl for thebrush rod; Fig.

12 is a sectional view of the brush rod holdparts and to give a cleareridea of that part. of the structure claimed herein, only pon tions oftwo successive banks of line terminals 66 are shown, it being understoodthat for each of the rows in the three omitted I sections of terminals abrush carrier 28 with its brushes 29, 30, 31 and 32 is rovided. Eachindividual selector mechanism may comprise high and low speed elevatingclutches 75, 76, shown in Fig. 3; a brush lifting rod 25, extending theentire length of the anel and passing between the elevating Eu leys 51,52 0f the respective clutches; five rush carriers 28, each with threebrushes 29, 30, 31, 32, and 31 bein in effect one) adapted to contactwith the ed terminals 34, 35 and 36 in their movement, as shown in Fig.5, when elevated by the rod 25, ourrent-supplying members 29, 30, 32'for the respective brushes 29, 30, 32, a shift magnet 45, a shift arm42, a brush-rod retaining pawl 39 and brush-rod release magnet 46 shownin Fig.1, and a commutator 57 which serves to send back impulses as a.brush is elevated, to govern its movement.

The brush rod 25 is provided with a pin 47 for each brush carrier 28.These pins normally rest on screws 77 in the base plates 67 of theirrespective sections and in the present embodiment are equidistant fromeach other upon the brush rod 25. Each of the brush carriers 28 has afinger 48 with which the corresponding pin only is adapted to interlock.These fingers are arranged on the carriers so that in the normalposition of the carriers they are at successively increasing heightsfrom the normal position of the pins 47 which rest, speaking broadly.upon the floors 67 of the respective sections (see Fig. 2). The fingers48 are in line with each other and out of the line of the upward travelof the pins 47, as shown in Fig. 6, but the brush rod 25 is free totwist on its own axis so as to permit of the pins engaging and seizingtheir respective brushes to raise the same. Each of these fingers 48 isheld in its normal position by a spiral spring 49, and is adapted, whenthe rod 25 is twisted and the corres ondin in moves into a roove ()8formed in each, to yield and be forced out of vertical alinement withthe fingers upon the other carriers. By this construction it is possibleto select any predetermined brush by raising the brush rod 25 until thecorresponding pin 47 .is adjacent the groove 68 in the correspondingfinger when it is given a twist which causes the said pin to engage thegroove of the respective carrier and be locked therewith. By examiningthe relation of the other pins to the grooves of their respectivefingers at this moment of twisting it will be evident that due to themethod of spacing the fingers from the pins, none of the others are inalinement. That is the pins below the selected brush are above thegrooves of their respective fingers while the pins above said brush arebelow the grooves of their respective fingers. .'\s is shown in Fig. 5,the yielding mounting of the fingershas permitted the selected brush tobe swung to the right by its pin 47 so that the upward movement of therod 25 may be continued until the selected brush reaches the desiredterminal, the pins above the brush selected, which have not yet passedtheir respective fingers in the upward movement, passing to the right oftheir fingers. as illustrated in Fig. 6. TVhen the required terminal hasbeen reached the upward movement of the rod is arrested and it is heldelevated pending conversation, by the pawl 39 engaging the rack 44formed on the rod 25, after which said pawl is disengaged therefrom andthe rod and brush restored by any suitable means, preferably gravity.movement of this rod may be caused by contact either with the low-speedpulley 52, which is rigidly secured to a constantly rotating shaft 50 orwith the high-s eed pulley 51 rigidly secured to a constant y rotatingshaft 53, or with both intermittently. These shafts may rotate at arelative speed of one to ten. The contact of the rod with these pulleysmay be controlled by any suitable apparatus, that shown beingelectromagnets 23 and 24 which when energized, act through the levers54, 55, and idler pulleys 78, 79 re spectively, to cause the brush rod25 to engage with either pulley and slowly or rapidly elevate the brushrod. The initial movement of said rod may be caused by the ener gizationof the low-speed clutch magnet At the instant one of the pins on thebrush rod 25 is adjacent the groove in the finger of the brush servingthe desired hundreds, current is applied to shift magnet 45 which actsthrough the shift arm 42 to give said brush rod a twist causing thecorresponding pin 47 to engage with the groove 68 in the finger 48 ofthe desired brush and. seize the same. The brush rod 25 in continuin itsmovementv is elevated to the end of the rush selecting The upward range,when the rack 44 engages with the retaining pawl 39. (m-rent is theneither maintained applied to the magnet :23 of the low-speed clutch 76to continue the elevation of the brush rod 25 and selected brush atlow-speed to the desired terminal, or transferred to the magnet 24 otthe high speed clutch To which elevates the brush rod and brush at. arelatively higher speed over the tens terminals, when current to themagnet 24 is cut otl' and again supplied to the magnet 23 shifting therod 25 from the high speed to the low speed clutch. H is then raisedagain at low s ..-ed until the desired units terminal is reached by thebrush, where it is held by the pawl 35).

\Vhen it is desired to restore the mechanism, an impulse of currentapplied to magnet to will cause the shift arm l2 to twist the rack llotf the pawl :39. This twisting movement also disengages the pin l7 fromthe groove as in the lingir l8 of the selected brush and the rod andbrush fall back to normal. It. however. the brush should sticlt. thebrush rod being relatively heavy will through the engagement of the pin47 with the lower guide "2. force the brush arrier 28 to normal. itsdownward movcmcnt. as well as that of the pin 47. being stopped by thescrew T7 in the floor (3T of the c t-re sponding section. The supply ofcurrent to these clutch controlling magnets may begovcrned by means of acommutator 3T shown in Figs. 2. T and 9. the contact arm 33 and metallicegments 59 sending Lack impulses to a sender or other suitable mechanismby means of which the preliminary movement of the brush rOdZJduringbrush election may be controlled. the contact brush it) and metallicsegments til sending back impulses by means of which the upwardn-lovemcnt of the selected brush over the tens line terminals may becontrolled, and the brush 58 serving also with the metallic segments (32to send back impulses by means of which the travel of the brush over theunits terminals may be controlled. The brush 63 and the ontinuousmetallic segment it supplies return or ground to lllCrt circuit Thebrush rod '23 is swivcled at 1'15 in order to allow the upper portion oiit to freely twist with out interference by the clutch mechanism.

-is shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 1 arms overlie projections of thecarriers and thus prevent the, brushes being accidentallv elevated bythe brush rod The twist ing of this rod and consequent engagement of apin with the corresponding linger of the s/lectcd brush however causesthe projection T? of the linger to sli t'rczrun ler its re taining armo9.

The magnets l. and ll) are each built of steel in order that he re idualmagrt..' m may hold the shift 'li'tl'i 42 and thereby the brush rod 25in either position. thus avoi ling the use of springs.

I claim:

t. In a selector. the combination with a row of terminals divided intosections, a brush for each section having a linger by which it may bemoved. an actuating rod for said brushes having a pin for each brush.the distance from the normal position of each pin to its orrespondingtinger varying in arithmetical progression with the. successive brushes.means for actuating said rod, and means for twisting said rod to causeone oli its pins to pick up the corrcspomling brush during its travel.

2. In a selector. the combination with a row of terminals divided intosections. a brush for each section having a linger by which it may bemoved. a bruslrrod ha\ ing a pin for each brush. the distance from thenormal position ol each pin to its corresponding finger varying inarithmetical pro grcssion with the successive brushes. means to!elevating said rod at low speed. means for twisting the rod during saidmovement to eiac one of said brushes. and means for thereafter raisingthe said brush at anothcr rate of speed to thc (ll-sired terminal.

I). In a selector. the combination with a vertical row ol terminalsdivided into sec,- tions. a brush for each section having .1 liuger. abrush rod having a loose connection with each brush. pins carried bysaid rod each adapted to engage and lift a particular brush. thedistancifrom the normal position of each pin to the corresponding lingerincreasin in arithmetical progression with the dit'ercnt brushes meansfor elevating said brush rod. a magnet adapted when a pin upon said rodis adjacent the linger of the desired brush to angularly displace therod to cause said pin to seize said brush. means for arresting the saidbrush at the desired terminal, and means for thereafter releasing thesame.

4. In a selector, the combination with rows of terminals. brushestherefor, a constantly rotating pulley, an elevating member for thebrushes, an idler pulley, and means for causing said idler pulley toforce. said elevating member into engagement with said constantlyrotating pulley.

In a selector, the combination with a row of terminals divided intosections, a brush for each section, a continuously rotating pulley, arod adapted to elevate said bru hes singly, an idler pulley engagingsaid rod. and an electromagnet adapted to cause said idler pulley toforce said rod into engagement with said policy.

(3. In a selector, the combination with rows of terminals, brushestherefor, continuously rotating pulleys, a rod adapted to elevate saidbrushes passing between said pulleys and beim normally out of engagementwith l either. idler pulleys adapted to engage said rod and means forcausing either of said pulleys to force said rod into engagement withthe corresponding constantly rotating pulley.

7. In a selector, the combination with rows of terminals, brushestherefor, a pair of pullc vs each constantly rotating at a difl'erentspeed, an elevating rod for said brushes pass ing between said pulleysand out of engagement with either, a pair of electromagnets, leverscontrolled thereby, an idler pulley for said rod carried by each lever,one of said itllcr pulleys upon the energization of its magnet forcingsaid rod into engagement with the corresponding power pulley.

S. In a selector, the combination with rows of terminals, brushestherefor, a constantly rotating member. an elevating member for thebrushes. an idler member, and means for causing said idler member toforce said elevating member into engagement with said constantlyrotating member.

1). In a telephone switch, a support, a plu rality of imlepemlentlymovable brushes thereon. means for moving said support longitudinally,and means for selectively rotating said support during its longitudinalmovement to render active a predetermined brush.

10. In a telephone switch, a longitudr, nally movable support, aplurality of indel pendently movable brushes thereon, electrol magneticmeans for selectively rotating said l support during its longitudinalmovement to select and render active a predetermined brush, and meansfor determining the time of such rotation.

11. In a switch, a row of stationary ter- I minals divided intosections, a longitudi l nally movable support, a normally inactive brushindividual to each section respectively, operatively associated withsaid support, ald means for rotating said support during itslongitudinal movement to render active any deslred brush.

12. In a switch, a row of terminal sets divided into sections and acorresponding plurality of normally inactive brush sets, a rotatable andlongitudinally movable brush selecting device, and electromagneticallycontrolled means for selectively rotating said device during itslongitudinal movement to render active an one of said brush sets.

13. In a switc a longitudinally movable rod, a plurality of brushcarriers normally loosely mounted thereon, cooperating locking memberson said rod and brush carriers respectively, and means for rotating saidrod during its longitudinal movement to cause operative engagement ofthe locking members individual. to a desired brush carrier totemporarily secure said brush carrier to said rod.,

14. In a switch, a longitudinally movable support, a plurality of brushsets normally loosely mounted thereon, locking means individual to eachset for temporarily securing the brushes thereof to said support, andmeans for rotating said sup ort during its longitudinal movement to eect the 0peration of the locking means of any desired set. In witnesswhereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 7th day of July, A. D. 1911.

JOHN NEWBERRY REYNOLDS.

\Vitnesses:

Invme MACDONALD, FRANK A. FLEIscHMAN.

Gupta 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by manning thecommunion! of Patents, Washington. D. 0."

